RW2 to AVIF Converter
FileFlip converts RW2 to AVIF entirely inside your browser, using ImageMagick compiled to WebAssembly. The file is never uploaded to a server: it is read off your disk, converted on your own machine, and saved back by the browser. That means no file-size limit, no queue and no account.
How do I convert an RW2 file to AVIF?#
- Drop your RW2 file onto the converter at the top of this page, or click it to pick one from your computer. You can add as many as you like.
- Leave the target set to AVIF and the conversion starts on its own. FileFlip downloads 14.1 MB of WebAssembly the first time and nothing after that, then runs ImageMagick on your own machine.
- Save the AVIF file. Your browser writes it straight to your downloads folder, because there was never a server holding it.
Does converting RW2 to AVIF lose quality?#
Yes, once. RW2 keeps everything and AVIF does not, so this is the first time the file meets a lossy encoder. At high quality the difference is hard to see, and it is worth keeping the RW2 original, because every later re-save of the AVIF loses a little more.
Is it safe to convert RW2 files online?#
Yes, because nothing is uploaded. FileFlip converts RW2 files inside the browser tab you already have open, using WebAssembly builds of the same engines a desktop converter would install. Your file is read from your own disk into the page's memory, and no request carrying it is ever made.
You do not have to take that on trust. Open your browser's network panel, run a conversion, and you will see the engine come down and your file go nowhere. There is no upload, no server-side copy, no retention window, and no account tied to what you converted.
How FileFlip works lists every engine, its version and its download size, and shows how to check for yourself that nothing leaves your machine.
What RW2 to AVIF actually does to the file#
Converting RW2 to AVIF runs on ImageMagick, downloads 14.1 MB of WebAssembly the first time and nothing after that, encodes a lossless source with a lossy encoder for the first time.
| Engine | ImageMagick |
|---|---|
| Conversion path | One step: RW2 → AVIF |
| Downloaded to your browser | 14.1 MB, once, then cached by your browser |
| Quality | Lossy, first generation |
| You get back | One file |
| Where it runs | In a background worker, so the page stays responsive |
Worth knowing before you start:
- camera raw is demosaiced with ImageMagick's defaults, which will not match the camera's own rendering
- some cameras write lossily compressed raw, so the source is not always a complete sensor record
What is an RW2 file?#
An RW2 file stores unprocessed sensor data from a Panasonic Lumix camera in a TIFF-based container, the raw format Panasonic has used since it started building Micro Four Thirds cameras and still writes across the current Lumix G and S lineups.
Shoot RW2 when a Lumix camera is set to record raw and the goal is to keep full sensor data for exposure and white balance adjustments later.
Convert RW2 once editing is finished and the image needs to go somewhere that doesn't read camera raw, such as a website, a shared album, or a printer.
What is an AVIF file?#
An AVIF file holds a still image or short animation encoded with the AV1 video codec, packaged inside a HEIF-style container that also carries HDR and wide-colour-gamut data alongside the pixels.
Use AVIF for web images where file size matters most, since it now decodes natively in every major browser and beats JPEG and WebP on compression at the same quality.
Convert AVIF to JPEG or PNG when a file is headed somewhere that still rejects it, such as an older content management system, a print workflow, or an app without AV1 decoding.
RW2 to AVIF questions people ask#
What camera creates RW2 files?
RW2 files come from Panasonic Lumix cameras with the capture format set to RAW, including the Micro Four Thirds G and GH series and the full-frame S series. JPEG is the default on most Lumix bodies, so RAW has to be turned on in the camera menu.
Can Windows open RW2 files without extra software?
Windows only shows RW2 thumbnails and previews after the Raw Image Extension is installed from the Microsoft Store, and even then only Photos and File Explorer use it. Converting to JPG works everywhere without installing anything.
Is RW2 the same as RWL?
RW2 and RWL hold the same kind of Panasonic sensor data in the same TIFF-based structure. Leica uses the RWL extension for the rebadged versions of Panasonic-designed cameras it sells, while Panasonic's own cameras write RW2.
Does converting RW2 to JPG lose image quality?
Converting an RW2 file to JPG applies the raw processing (demosaicing, white balance, tone curve) and then compresses the result, so some of the original sensor data is discarded. The RW2 itself is unaffected by the conversion and keeps every option for reprocessing open.